This Sunday is Mother's Day- We've Got Your Back!

This Mother’s Day is Sunday May 13th,  for those of you keeping score that’s THIS Sunday! Start biting your nails now my friends because this is an occasion you can’t ignore! Mothers and mother figures are pretty incredible people, and I am not just saying that because I happen to be one. They are the ones we snuggle with when we’re young, confide in when we’re tweens, hold a grudge against when we’re teens (after discovering that confiding certain things maybe wasn’t the best idea), reconnect with once our hormones stop raging, and feel deep loss when they've gone. Throughout the roller coaster of life most Mums have our back. I know mine is pretty great, and although I would never turn to her with financial questions I can always rely on her to tell me whether my jeans make me look fat, and let’s be honest, that’s really important! 

I will confess that I still don’t have a Mother’s Day gift yet. Chocolate- sure, flowers- sure, originality- definitely not! It’s so difficult to not get trapped in a gestured cliché.  If you feel the same way, you are in luck! Memories are the best thing you can give your Mum. Lunch out- sure, a walk in the park- sure, a Left of Centre Photography Gift Certificate- now you’re talkin’!!! If you really want to WOW your Mother this Mother’s Day give us a buzz to create your very own customized gift certificate. 

Sorry for the shameless plug, now here are some great pics celebrating all you Mothers out there!

Love LOCPS xoxox

My Heart is in Savannah, Georgia!

We recently celebrated our daughter's birthday, which made me reminisce about her last birthday and where we were.  While this year we were pretty much stuck inside due to a freak ice storm, last year we were lounging around the warm and wonderful Savannah, Georgia. With the magnitude of grossness happening outdoors I was reminiscing hard.  If you’ve never been to Savannah you should definitely put it on your bucket list. Even if you haven’t read the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt, you should go. I would recommend reading it though; it's fantastic!  Don’t cheat and watch the movie, it doesn't do the book any justice. the book is based on a scandalously true story and many of the places mentioned in said novel can be toured and explored within the city. The book kind of acts like a walking tour, only with murder and voodoo (the best kind of tour guide). 

The first time we went to Savannah, GA was in 2008. I incorrectly assumed we could see enough of the city in a couple of days (I was wrong). I immediately fell in love with the whimsical trees and atmosphere. We stayed at The Marshall House. Built in 1851 it served as a hospital for soldiers, a gorgeous historic four-story building with a shared balcony on the second floor only. One of the coolest features of the balcony is that you can only access it by climbing through the massive window in your room. The concierge was incredibly personable and polite and made sure we stayed on the second floor. Room 215 became one of the nicest and most unique places we’ve stayed in with a claw-foot bath and incredibly high ceilings. The Marshall house features nightly wine and cheese socials with backgammon tables (my favourite) and the best breakfast you can imagine. The whole experience is just luxurious and our small taste of the city and culture left me wanting more.

We didn’t get a chance visit again until 2015, this time with our 2 children in tow. We decided to spend a couple of nights in Savannah on our way to Athens, Georgia for a family wedding. Our daughter was about to turn 3 at that time and being that we named her Savannah we thought it would be really special for her to turn 3 in Savannah. Once again we stayed at The Marshall House, and they surprised our daughter with a staff signed card wishing her a happy birthday, which I am still impressed with to this day. In the short time we were there we did manage to visit the Savannah Children’s Museum and the Georgia State Railroad Museum.  We made some really meaningful memories there, so while looking longingly out the back window as we drove away, I promised myself we would spend an entire week the next time we visited.

That’s exactly what we did in April of last year! We rented an apartment right in the city on Liberty Street. I fell in love with the historic 2 bedroom apartment, located in the Historic District right on the border between tourism and local living. I could have spent the week just walking the streets around our apartment admiring the stunning homes and gardens.  We enjoyed tourist activities such as the Trolley Tours, exploring Davenport Museum, eating ice cream at Leopold’s (this truly is the BEST ice cream I have ever tasted), eating at the Pirates House (which authentically was an Inn where pirates rendezvoused dating back to 1753) and walked around the waterfront on River Street. Then we started talking to locals and finding all the little gems the city has to offer. An amazing little hole in the wall offering amazing sandwiches and craft beer, spending an afternoon at Tybee Island lounging around the sandy vast beach, and walking the lovely Forsyth Park. 

We also heard all about Bonaventure Cemetery, which is located just outside of the city and was the location where the Bird Girl statue featured on the infamous cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was photographed. The Bird Girl was relocated as she became so popular that there was concern with her crumbling due to being touched by admirers. She was relocated to Telfair Museums' Jepson Center for the Arts, where she can be both viewed and cared for. As photographers we felt it was a necessity to visit Bonaventure Cemetery, so we loaded up our kids and spent the afternoon in the most beautiful cemetery I have ever been in!

There is a piece of my heart in Savannah, Georgia and I cannot wait to return and fall in love all over again. Is there a place that makes you feel that way? I would love if you would be willing to share your favourite place and why!

Thanks you for walking down memory lane with me!

Love LOCPS xoxo

Here’s a list of websites to some of the places I’ve mentioned in case you want to find out more-

The Marshall House- https://www.marshallhouse.com

Georgia State Railroad Museum- http://www.chsgeorgia.org/GSRM

Savannah Children’s Museum- http://www.chsgeorgia.org/SCM

The Pirates House- http://www.thepirateshouse.com

Bonaventure Cemetery- http://www.bonaventurehistorical.org

Forsyth Park- http://www.savannahga.gov/1813/Bicycles-in-Forsyth-Park

There’s A Lot of Cake Thievery Going On!

Rachel and I are like this (I’m crossing my fingers together).  In 2015, when she was pregnant with her first daughter we did maternity photos, then newborn, then 6 month and then a cake smash… and then we did it all over again with baby number two!  I didn’t get the chance to blog every session we did, but check out Rachel’s first maternity session here and her second here, and Raelynn’s newborn photos here and Lily’s here. You can also see some of their family photos featured here!

I was really excited and sad when I got the call from Rachel that it was time to photograph Lily’s cake smash. I was really happy because I love cake smashes (cake everywhere is always fun), but sad because this would be our last session together. I’m cheering myself up though, because I know we will do family photos again in the fall and I am also secretly hoping Rachel has another baby. Just putting it out there! Regardless, Rachel and her gorgeous family have become part of our family - the photographs of Jeff feeding Lily and himself are proof of that! 

We had such a blast photographing Lily’s cake smash. We dressed up and rocked out to Queen Elsa singing Let it Go (video courtesy of Rachel can be found on our Instagram), ate some cake and danced around! I do have a tip for anyone looking to do a cake smash, don’t go to the session hungry. Either that, or don’t invite Rachel, she couldn’t keep her hands off that cake! 

Here are some epic shots from our session with Lily (and her cake stealing Mom and our very own Jeff)! 

Love LOCPS xoxox